Система здравоохранения Brightshores присоединилась к региональному этическому совету для развития исследований

Brightshores joins regional body to advance research opportunities Article content Brightshores Health System has joined hospitals in the Simcoe-Muskoka region in a newly launched research ethics board that is expected to help advance more research projects in the area. The local corporation with six hospitals across Grey-Bruce, is now part of the Central Ontario Research Ethics Board alongside Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, Georgian Bay General Hospital, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare and Barrie’s Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. The initiative is building on a research ethics board already at RVH. Recommended Videos Rebecca Johnson, research project manager in Brightshores’ Office of Research and Innovation, said Tuesday that being part of a local, regionally connected research ethics board will lead to increased opportunities for local research studies that reflect the community’s priorities and values, and lead to more meaningful and impactful outcomes. “Being part of CO-REB means having community-informed oversight that builds trust, enhances relevance and supports the growing local research capacity,” Johnson said. “Furthermore, the CO-REB allows for easier research collaboration between participating partners.” The ethics board will provide formal oversight of the research being undertaken involving study participants at the various hospitals. Such research is important in improving care, testing new ideas and giving patients access to opportunities that may not otherwise be available through standard care, CO-REB explained. The ethics board will help ensure studies are carried out safely and in line with the highest ethical standards, protecting participants and building public trust by upholding the rights, dignity and well-being of those involved, it said in a news release. The shared model will also give the hospitals access to a shared ethics review process for studies across all participating sites, which will save time and cost and support consistent research oversight, according to the release. Johnson explained that being part of the ethics board will allow Brightshores to build on the research work already being done at its sites. The corporation’s Office of Research and Innovation is currently overseeing upwards of 20 active and ongoing projects. They include two international clinical trials, ongoing innovation projects with impacts across the region, as well as academic and physician-led research projects, she said. One such project at Brightshores is the implementation and evaluation of Swift Skin and Wound digital wound care technology across the region in partnership with Grey County long-term care, the Hanover and District Hospital, South Bruce Grey Health Centre and CarePartners. Another partnership, between Brightshores, Serefin Health and the Grey-Bruce Ontario Health Team, is a recently launched proof-of-concept program to support health and social service navigation for residents across Grey Bruce, Johnson said. Called the MyCareSteps program, it offers residents free supports with the goal of improving coordination across the health and social system and addressing broader access and navigation challenges. Johnson’s office is evaluating the program to understand patients’ experiences and provider workflows in order to identify local needs and inform future models. And Johnson noted that respirologist Dr. Marcus Newton received the first Brightshores Research Recognition Award earlier this year for his leadership and dedication to advancing patient care through his involvement in pulmonary fibrosis clinical trials. CO-REB said in its release that it was created to support research in communities where formal research systems have often been limited, as traditionally health research has been concentrated in large academic centres. But it notes that community hospitals, where more than 65 per cent of the province’s hospitalized patients receive care, are playing an increasingly important role in clinical trials, frontline and bedside research and real-world innovation. CO-REB says its framework has been designed to grow over time and support other hospitals and healthcare teams, building a more connected regional research system that will help rural and smaller communities shape research that most impacts their residents. “This is an exciting step forward for hospitals, researchers and communities across our region,” said Dr. Nancy Trimble, a retired family doctor and CO-REB chair. “When hospitals work together, we can create sustainable pathways for patients to access research opportunities closer to where they receive care.”